Joe Hession
Co-Founder, CEO
Joe Hession is the founder and CEO of SNOW Partners and a thought leader in the areas of resort management, process improvement, and guest experience design. Joe is a true resort operator with 30 years of resort management experience. He has held leadership roles in nearly all resort operating departments, starting as a parking attendant in his teens and working his way up to VP, General Manager of Mountain Creek Resort, prior to founding his first company, SNOW Operating, in 2012. Under his leadership, Joe has grown SNOW Partners from its original SNOW Operating business to a collection of innovative companies, including ownership of Mountain Creek Resort, Big SNOW American Dream, SnowCloud Software, and SNO-GO Ski Bikes.
It was during his time working as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt for the Intrawest Corporation that Joe found his passion for experiential design with the intent of forming emotional connections between resorts and their guests. This passion is what has fueled the direction and growth of SNOW Partners and its businesses.
Joe has delivered keynotes at various industry events, including Interski in 2019, and has been featured in numerous publications including: The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Outside, and SKI Magazine. Joe has been recognized with a SAMMY Leadership Award from Ski Area Management Magazine and several awards for his philanthropic work with the Hession Foundation. Joe holds board positions with the National Ski Areas Association, the US Ski and Snowboard Team, and the New Jersey Golf Foundation.
Joe is a husband, father of three boys, skier, snowboarder and golfer. He is a quintessential entrepreneur with a knack for challenging the status quo and is known for not being afraid to speak his mind. Joe grew up in Vernon, New Jersey, and began his life on snow at Mount Peter ski area in Warwick, New York.